INVASIVE SPECIES CONTROL
Constituent body of the Hunting Association of Ireland
The governing body for mink-hound packs in Ireland, a countryside pursuit centred on controlling the American mink, an invasive species with no natural predator in Ireland.
One of six disciplines recognised under the Hunting Association of Ireland, mink hunting developed specifically to manage American mink that escaped or were released from fur farms and established themselves along Irish rivers and coastlines.
Packs of hounds work waterways and riverbanks on foot, following the mink's scent, in a pursuit that doubles as a targeted control programme for an invasive predator.
Because American mink have no natural predator in Ireland and prey heavily on native birds and fish, the association frames its work chiefly as invasive-species control in support of native biodiversity.
This pursuit is practised under Irish law and the rules of its governing body, which sets welfare, conduct and membership standards for every affiliated member. Reports of malpractice are investigated and can result in suspension or expulsion.
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